June 23, 2011, Sierra Club General MeetingThe June meeting will be a pot-luck picnic held in Clayton's Shaw Park at the South Shelter, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bring a dish and enjoythe company of your favorite fellow Sierrans!

July 12, 2011, Sierra Club General MeetingThe July meeting will NOT be on the third Thursday as usual. It will be a joint meeting of the Sierra Club and the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil on Tuesday July 12 at Ameren-Missouri Headquarters, 1901 Chouteau Ave. in St. Louis. The program will feature author/speakerDan Chiras, an expert on natural building materials. There will be time for registration and networking from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. withthe program beginning at 6:15. This program is free to Sierra Club members, $20 for the general public.

Clean Energy Jobs Tour – Thursday, June 30 in Franklin CountyJoin the Missouri Sierra Club for our first Clean Energy Jobs tour on Thursday, June 30 in Franklin County. Tour the CG Power Systemstransformers plant and learn about what is happening with wind generated power here in Missouri. Plus, see the site of Ameren's proposed new coal ash pit at the Labadie power plant and an explanation of the issue from the Labadie Environmental Organization. We will meet at 9:30am at the Three Brothers Restaurant in Labadie located at 117 Front St, Labadie, MO 63055.

Huge coal ash landfill may be sited in a floodplainFranklin County Commission announced the first public deliberations of the Commission on the proposed zoning code changes that may allow a huge coal ash landfill in the 100 year floodplain of the Missouri River in Labadie, MO. May 31 they announced there would be a public meeting held Wednesday July 6 at 9:30 a.m. in the Franklin County Government Center, 400 E. Locust in Union MO 63084 (map).

The public working meeting will be the first time the Commission shares it’s thought after 5 public hearings, approximately 14 hours of testimony and after reviewing almost 3,000 pages of additional documentations provided. As part of the official testimony LabadieEnvironmental Organization (LEO) brought in three experts to address inconsistencies with the development plan, poor siting due to hydrological and geological issues, and risk to ground water and surface water contamination.

On May 31st the Commission also unanimously approved Order 11-182 which amended Franklin County's floodplain management ordinances to adopt the new FEMA flood maps showing the proposed site squarely in the "floodway" of the Missouri River, just as recordfloodwaters move toward the metro St. Louis area.

The plain truth is our local zoning authorities have the power to prevent CCW landfilling in vulnerable locations. Tell the Franklin County Commission you expect them to protect our ground water and Missouri River drinking water. The only way to ensure heavy metals and toxins from coal ash not end up in drinking water is to not allow CCW landfilling in floodplains and floodways. See downloadable postcards that can be filled out and sent to the County Commission. Sign the petition, if you have not done so already and follow the story on the LEO blog.

Join LEO Tues July 19 at Hillermanns Nursery in Washington MO for a screening of the film Living Downstream which draws connections between environmental pollutants and cancer. Film and discussion 6 p.m – 8 p.m. More information on the LEO website.

We need Native Pollinators! Learn More.
Some of you will remember that Jennifer Hopwood of the Xerces Society gave a talk last December in St. Louis on native pollinators. Much of the talk explained the importance and decline of native bees and bumble bees.

The article in our December e-newsletter about Jennifer Hopwood's talk also mentioned that our native pollinators are an important part of the biodiversity that we need to maintain as we plan ways to adapt to the effects of climate change. Find the article in the December EMG E-Newsletter.

The Xerces Society has a new book which highlights all the places where our native pollinators help us in our home gardens, farms, parks, along roads and even in the city in our small rooftop gardens or porches. Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies is about the roles of bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. You will find regional lists of bee-friendly wildflowers, advice on building nests and plans for pollinator gardens other landscapes. $29.95; Storey Publishing.

New Readers of this NewsletterIf you are receiving this monthly E-newsletter for the first time, we welcome you! Perhaps you are among the many members who responded to our postcard. We are grateful for your willingness to share your email address with us so that we can keep in touch more efficiently and economically.

Please let us know what you think of the content, if you especially like an article or if there is something you'd like to know about the Sierra Club. We have been sending out the monthly e-newsletters for about 9 months and all the back issues can be found on our website.